Arturo Buzzi-Peccia (13 October 1854 – 29 August 1943) was an Italian singing instructor and song composer.

Biography

Buzzi-Peccia was born 13 October 1854 in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire, officially known as the Empire of Austria, was a Multinational state, multinational European Great Powers, great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the Habsburg monarchy, realms of the Habsburgs. Duri ...

, to Antonio and Clotilde Peccia. Whrn he was about five Milan csme under Italian control. In 1868, he was accepted at the

Milan Conservatory The Milan Conservatory, also known as the Conservatorio di Milano and the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi, is a Music school, college of music in Milan, Italy. History The conservatory was established by a royal decree of 1807 in Milan, capital ...

where he studied composition under

Antonio Bazzini Antonio Bazzini (11 March 181810 February 1897) was an Italian violinist, composer and teacher. As a composer, his most enduring work is his chamber music, which earned him a central place in the Italian instrumental renaissance of the 19th centu ...

. In the late 1870s, he went to Paris to continue his studies under Massenet and Saint-Saëns. He returned to Italy, first to Milan and eventually taking a position in

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

as a voice teacher. He began to write music while still in school, and composed three works to secure his diploma from the Milan Conservatory in 1875. In 1886 his ' was performed at

La Scala La Scala (, , ; officially , ) is a historic opera house in Milan, Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as (, which previously was Santa Maria della Scala, Milan, a church). The premiere performa ...

. His

symphonic poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. The German term ( ...

' received critical acclaim when it premiered at La Scala in 1888. The 1897 premiere in Turin of Buzzi-Peccia's only opera, ', was conducted by

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...

. One of his best-known works is " Lolita: Serenata spagnola" (1892), recorded by many singers over the years including

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyric tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles that r ...

, John McCormick,

Titta Ruffo Titta Ruffo (9 June 1877 – 5 July 1953), born as Ruffo Cafiero (double forename) Titta, was an Italian operatic baritone who had a major international singing career. Known as the "Voce del leone" ("voice of the lion"), he was greatly admi ...

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza ( , ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer a ...

Richard Tucker Richard Tucker (August 28, 1913January 8, 1975) was an American operatic tenor and cantor. Long associated with the Metropolitan Opera, Tucker's career was primarily centered in the United States. Early life Tucker was born Rivn (Rubin) Ticker ...

and

Alfredo Kraus Alfredo Kraus Trujillo (; 24 November 192710 September 1999) was a distinguished Spanish tenor from the Canary Islands (known professionally as Alfredo Kraus), particularly known for the artistry he brought to opera's bel canto roles. He was ...

. His was sung by Joseph Schmidt in the 1934 film '' My Song Goes Round the World''. Most of his songs were written in Italian, but he also wrote lyrics in French and English. His most famous novelty song, (Song of the Cigarette), was written in French. He came to the United States in 1898 to teach voice at the

Chicago Musical College Chicago Musical College is a division of the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, United States. History Founding Dr. Florenz Ziegfeld Sr (1841–1923), founded the college in 1867 as the Chicag ...

with references from such notables as

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

and

Arrigo Boito Arrigo Boito (; born Enrico Giuseppe Giovanni Boito; 24 February 1842 10 June 1918) was an Italian librettist, composer, poet and critic whose only completed opera was ''Mefistofele''. Among the operas for which he wrote the libretto, libretti ar ...

. Two years later Buzzi-Peccia moved to New York to teach at the Metropolitan College of Music. He was the first voice teacher of

Alma Gluck Alma Gluck (May 11, 1884October 27, 1938) was a Romanian-born American lyric soprano. Biography Gluck was born as Reba Feinsohn to a Jewish family in Iași, Romania, the daughter of Zara and Leon Feinsohn. Gluck moved to the United States at a ...

, and also of

Sophie Braslau Sophie Braslau (August 16, 1892 – December 22, 1935) was a dramatic contralto prominent in United States opera, starting with her debut in New York City's Metropolitan Opera in 1913 when she was 21. Biography Braslau was born on August 16, 18 ...

. Another pupil of Buzzi-Peccia was Dorothy Caruso, wife of Enrico Caruso. Many artists recorded Buzzi-Peccia's songs, among them

Amelita Galli-Curci Amelita Galli-Curci (18 November 1882 – 26 November 1963) was an Italian lyric coloratura soprano. She was one of the most famous operatic singers of the 20th century and a popular recording artist, with her records selling in large numbe ...

, Beniamino Gigli,

Aureliano Pertile Aureliano Pertile (9 November 1885 – 11 January 1952) was an Italians, Italian lyric tenor. Many critics consider him one of the most exciting operatic artists of the inter-war period, and one of the most important tenors of the 20th century. ...

, Claudia Muzio, Carlo Bergonzi,

Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti (, , ; 12 October 19356 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor who during the late part of his career crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. He made numerou ...

, Giuseppe Di Stefano, and Roberto Alagna.

Selected music

Songs

* "Ave Maria". * . * "Black Magic", words by C. D. Isaacson. * ,

barcarolle A barcarolle ( ; from French, also barcarole; originally, Italian barcarola or barcaruola, from 'boat') is a traditional folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers, or a piece of music composed in that style. In classical music, two of the most fa ...

for pianoforte. * for pianoforte. * (Song of the Cigarette), words in English by R. Lorfin. * (Columbine: a Venetian serenade). * "Come buy", from Shakespeare's ''The Winter's Tale''. * "The Conscientious Deacon", words by V. Lindsay. * "Eternal Light!" (Lux eterna) * "Fair Dreams" (); words by Axel, English version by P. C. Warren. * "A Fly Song", tragicomical encore ditty, etc., words by J. D. Wells. * ''Four French Songs''. (1915) * Four Songs on texts by

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

, 1920, published by Oliver Ditson #Forget the Night #In the Flower Garden #The Song of Ahez the Pale #When I go alone * "Gloria". Duet for soprano and alto, words by M. C. Schuyler. * "Going to War". * "Good Night my Love". *

Lolita ''Lolita'' is a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov. The protagonist and narrator is a French literature professor who moves to New England and writes under the pseudonym Humbert Humbert. He details his obsession ...

. (1892) * "Mariolina: a love call" (c. 1934).* (Glory to Love). (1904) * . * . * ''Two Encore Songs'' #"My mother bids me spend my smiles", words by T. Hood. #"Venus' runaway", words by B. Jonson.

Piano music

* ', .

Notes

References

External links

Arturo Buzzi-Peccia
in ''Discography of American Historical Recordings'' at UC Santa Barbara {{DEFAULTSORT:Buzzi-Peccia, Arturo 1854 births 1943 deaths 19th-century Italian classical composers 19th-century Italian male musicians 20th-century Italian classical composers 20th-century male composers 20th-century Italian male musicians Italian Romantic composers Italian male classical composers Italian emigrants to the United States Composers from Milan Italian voice teachers Milan Conservatory alumni